Philippe Wolfers Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Philippe Wolfers


Born	16 April 1858
Died	13 December 1929 (aged 71) Brussels metropolitan area
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Occupation	Jewelry designer, medalist
Parent(s)	Louis Wolfers

Philippe Wolfers (1858–1929) was a famous Belgian artist. He was a talented silversmith, jeweler, sculptor, and designer. His art is known for two main styles: Art Nouveau and later Art Deco.

Wolfers created some of the most beautiful Art Nouveau jewelry ever made. These pieces were often one-of-a-kind. He also designed sculptures, decorative items, and tableware. He used precious materials like silver, bronze, ivory, and marble. He even designed vases and other objects made from glass and pottery.

Early Life and Art School
Leading Designer at Wolfers Frères
Wolfers' Unique Jewelry Pieces
Awards and Recognition
See also

Early Life and Art School

Philippe Wolfers was born into a family of artists. His father, Louis Wolfers, ran a well-known company called "Wolfers frères." This company made silver items and jewelry for the royal court in Brussels.

Philippe started working in the family business in 1875. He also studied sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He learned from a teacher named Isidore De Rudder. Philippe traveled a lot with his father, visiting big art shows in Europe. He was very inspired by Japanese art, just like many artists of his time.

Leading Designer at Wolfers Frères

After his father passed away in 1892, Philippe took over the family business with his brothers, Max and Robert. Philippe became the main design director. He brought a new, modern style called Art Nouveau to their silver pieces.

One famous example is the Orchidées ("Orchids") fruit bowl from 1894. Another is a vase from around 1896. This vase is now displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Orchidées ("Orchids") fruit bowl, made of silver (1894)
Orchidée ("Orchid") flower pot, made of glazed pottery (1897)

Wolfers' Unique Jewelry Pieces

Between 1898 and 1907, Wolfers made about 130 special jewelry pieces. Each one was truly unique. He marked them with "EX.UNIQUE" (meaning "unique example") and his initials. These pieces showed off his amazing skill as an artist.

They were displayed at important art shows around the world. These unique jewels were very expensive, even back then. If a piece didn't sell, it was taken apart. The valuable metals and gemstones were then used to make new jewelry. This is why these special pieces are very rare today. Only about 20 of them still exist.

One of his unique brooches sold for over £23,000 at an auction in 2012. A beautiful necklace called Glycines was made for the Paris World's Fair in 1900. It sold for 257,000 Swiss francs in 2016.

Plumes de Paon ("Peacock Feathers"), a belt buckle by Wolfers (1898)
Oiseaux et Iris ("Birds and Iris") decorative hair comb (1899)
Swan pendant (1901)
Libelle ("Dragonfly"), a pendant made of gold, opal, enamel, rubies and diamonds (1902)
Niké brooch (1902)